The present invention relates generally to thermally insulated containers and, more particularly, to a strap system for converting a thermally insulated container into a wearable backpack for ease of transport.
Conventional thermally insulating boxes (i.e., coolers or ice chests) are typically rectangular boxes having thermally insulating sides into which items desired to be maintained at a given temperature are placed. The interior of a conventional cooler is usually a single rectangular space into which the items desired to be maintained at temperature and the temperature maintenance media are placed together. Usually, the desired maintenance temperature inside the cooler is colder than that of the cooler""s outside environment, and the preferred temperature maintenance media are ice packs and/or loose ice cubes. Coolers are most often used to maintain quantities of beverage containers, usually 12-ounce bottles and/or cans, at low temperatures.
Conventional coolers have a pair of handles positioned at either long end by which the cooler is gripped for lifting and carrying. This carrying arrangement suffers from the disadvantages of being unwieldy for lifting the cooler as well as for setting the cooler back down. A single person must carry the cooler before him as he walks, which forces him to support the weight of the cooler with his lower back. Moreover, a typical cooler fully laden with ice and beverages can be quite heavy (about 22 pounds), quickly tiring both the carrying and the gripping muscle groups of the person carrying the cooler. Further, conventional single-cavity coolers have no structures for keeping their contents evenly distributed, further complicating the carrying process. Finally, the above factors conspire to make carrying a loaded cooler an increasingly rigorous task with increasing transport distance.
There is therefore a need for a system for adapting a conventional cooler to be carried easily and efficiently by a single person. The present invention is directed towards meeting this need.
The present invention relates to a strap device for manually transporting a cooler. The strap device includes a first elongated strap assembly adapted to releasably lockingly engage the cooler, a second elongated strap assembly likewise adapted to releasably lockingly engage the cooler, and a shoulder strap assembly adapted to releasably lockingly couple the strap device to a wearer. The first and second strap assemblies preferably connectedly intersect at substantially right angles. The shoulder strap assembly preferably extends from the second strap assembly to releasably lockingly connect to the first strap assembly.
The first and second strap assemblies may each include a plurality of substantially parallel straps. The first and second strap assemblies may be interconnected with orientations substantially parallel to each other, such that they form a web.
One object of the present invention is to provide an improved method and apparatus for manually lifting and carrying a cooler. Related objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description.